A Second Look at the Second
Generation WinChip
The IDT WinChip 2 is IDT's second generation CPU
that follows in the footsteps of their
inexpensive WinChip C6 product. Previously, IDT
had planned to release a WinChip 2 and a WinChip
2 3D. The only difference between the two was the
3DNow unit built into the WinChip 2 3D that the
WinChip 2 would not have. However, IDT has
decided to just produce one second generation
chip by the name WinChip 2, and this chip will
have 3DNow support.
The major changes from the WinChip C6 to the new
WinChip 2 include 3DNOW! support, a pipelined
FPU, and higher clock speeds. So far, IDT has not
managed to improve the clock speed very much,
though. I initially reviewed 225 MHz WinChip 2
several months ago. I was impressed with the
noticable improvement that chip had over the
WinChip C6 in the gaming deparment, but its 3DNow
unit was lack luster compared to the AMD K6-2's
3DNow unit. At the time of that review, I assumed
AMD's 3DNow performance was better, since AMD had
developed the 3DNow patch foe Quake 2 that I was
using as a 3DNow performance benchmark. However,
IDT vowed to make improvements to their WinChip 2
so the WinChip 2 could enjoy 3DNow performance
that was on par with the AMD K6-2.
Quake 2 v3.20
Performance
The Quake 2 performance of this WinChip 2 sample
is vastly improved over the previous WinChip C6
and WinChip 2 samples. The WinChip 2 reviewed
earlier this year was beaten handily by the AMD
K6-2 when running the 3DNow enabled Quake 2.
However, the improved WinChip 2 shows a clearly
improved 3DNow unit, which is almost on par with
the more expensive AMD K6-2 at the same clock
speed. In the graphs below, the K6-2 slightly
beats the WinChip 2 when running a Voodoo 2 card,
but the WinChip 2 slightly beats the K6-2 when
running a TNT card.
Technical Details
The .35 micron WinChip 2 runs at a dual plane
setting of 3.5v core and 3.5v I/O. Although the
WinChip 2 is technically a dual plane chip, it
runs absolutely stable on well aged single plane
motherboards. Even though the Winchip 2 requires
3.5v, it runs cool. This cool running style is
similar to the single plane WinChip C6 that runs
at 3.5v. The .25 micron 300 MHz IDT WinChip 2 is
expected to run with a 2.8v core and 3.3v I/O.
IDT has made the intellegent decision to support
legacy motherboards. The WinChip 2 has fractional
multipliers in addition to integer multipliers.
(2x, 2.33x, 2.5x, 3x, 3.5x, 4x, 4.5x) By setting
the motherboard to 5x, the WinChip 2 will run
using a 2.33x multiplier, which is great for
running 233 MHz! (2.33x100)
Conclusion
IDT's WinChip 2 is a very promising economy CPU.
The WinChip 2 fits older motherboards, yet offers
excellent FPU, MMX, 3DNow, and integer
performance. On the upgrade front, the WinChip 2
should make a lot of users very happy. Those
looking to upgrade their old machine on the cheap
should definitely consider the WinChip 2 as a
solid game and application supercharger.
Overall, the WinChip 2 is a very admirable CPU
for any computer system. In fact, my only
complaint with the IDT WinChip 2 is the low clock
speed. AMD and Intel are selling 400 MHz and
faster chips at prices that most people can
afford, and both AMD and Intel have even faster
chips just over the horizon. At the time of this
writing, I can easily purchase a 400 MHz K6-2
over the Internet for under US$200. It would be
very hard for me to justify purchasing anything
slower than a 400 MHz chip now that prices for
actually within reach. Until IDT can ship a 400
MHz chip, it is going to be very difficult for
IDT to grab any sizable share of the market. Once
IDT switches to the .25 micron FAB, IDT should be
able to release 300-400 MHz chips. At that point
in time, IDT will become a noticable force in the
low cost home PC and entry level OEM markets.
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